Per the North American workplace electrical safety standards published by the National Fire Protection Association and the Canadian Standards Association, a conventional industrial control panel is considered energized until validated to be de-energized. The validation is completed using an adequately rated voltage detector. Depending on a risk category of the installation being serviced, personal protection equipment of varying degrees is worn by an electrical worker to complete the validation as the validation involves the electrical worker being within a prohibited approach boundary of the electrical hazard.
After a main power disconnect switch has been opened and a load side circuit confirmed de-energized, a top area of the main power disconnect switch inside the industrial control panel is still energized. With a door of the industrial control panel open, the presence of live conductors exposes the electrical worker to potential electrocution and arc-flash hazards. In such a case, the appropriate personal protection equipment should be worn the entire time the panel is being worked on by the electrical worker. The personal protection equipment for typical industrial installations is expensive, cumbersome and time consuming to don.
It would be desirable to implement a method and/or apparatus for implementing risk reduction of electrical hazards.